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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

A Little Luncheon Dish...

Begin preparing this salad they day before you plan to serve it for best flavor and easy service.

For the Dressing:

1/4 Cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1 anchovy, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 Cup Olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, sugar, anchovy, garlic and shallot in a small bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Transfer dressing to a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Allow the dressing to come to room temperature and shake well before assembling the salad.

For the Tomatoes:

2 Roma tomatos

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 thyme sprig

1 large garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half length wise and place them, cut side up, in a glass baking dish. Drizzle them with the olive oil. Strip the leaves from the thyme sprig and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the tomatoes and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bake the tomatoes for 90 minutes until starting to dry, but still juicy. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temp before serving. Tomatoes can be refrigerated over night in an airtight container; allow them to come to room temp before serving (You can also roast more than 2 tomatoes at once-fill up the pan if you want-they are wonderful served with quiche, roasted chicken, or shrimp, feta and olives).

For the Potatoes:

12-16 small yukon gold potatoes

1 yellow onion, halved

2 thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt

Place the potatoes in pot large and cover them with cold water. Add the halved onion, thyme sprigs and bay leaf to the pot. Season the water with enough salt to make it taste as salty as the ocean...seriously taste it and be sure it reminds you of the beach. This is the only way the potatoes will get seasoning and salty water draws moisture out of the potato and helps create a buttery/fluffy texture. Bring the pot to a boil on the stove, reduce heat and allow the potatoes to simmer for 20-25 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes and allow to cool to room temperature. Potatoes can be cooked one day ahead and refrigerated. Allow them to come to room temp before serving.

For the Green Beans:

24 Green Beans, trimmed

1 teaspoon salt

1 Ice bath

Bring a small sauce pan of water to a boil and season with the salt. Add the beans and allow them to boil for three minutes or until just crisp-tender. Drain and plunge the par-cooked beans into the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Dry the beans with a papertowl and store them in the fridge until ready to serve.

For the Eggs:

2 large eggs (preferably closer to their sell-by date; older eggs are easier to peel)

Place the eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with enough tepid water to cover by two inches. Allow the eggs to sit in the water for 15 minutes before bringing them to a boil. Allow the eggs to boil gently for 7 minutes before draining and rinsing with cold water. Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. They can be stored in the refrigerator over night.

Allow the fish to come to room temp (about 30 minutes) Cut each salmon portion in half through middle creating 2 equal square shaped portions. Sprinkle the presentation side with the chives and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press the top of the seasoned salmon into the flour and shake off the excess. Generously spray a non-stick skillet with pan spray and add the canola oil to the pan. Heat the pan over medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the salmon portions floured side down and cook, without moving or touching for 3 minutes or until the top is golden brown and it appears each piece in nearly cooked halfway through.Gently flip the salmon portion, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook on the second side for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a rack and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour before serving.

Toss the lettuce with 3 Tablespoons of dressing. Distribute the dressed greens among four large salad bowls. Place a salmon portion in the center of each bowl. Tuck the potatoes and green beans on either side of the salmon. Nestle an egg half and a roasted tomato half in the bowl near the salmon. Sprinkle the salad with the olives and drizzle the salmon with additional dressing as desired.

It is always a treat to serve a little lunch to people who care about The Day Nursery even more than I do! Taking time to think about the future of our organization was quite delicious!